[02/08/2017, Strasbourg] Roma genocide: remembering the past to strengthen the fight against prejudice

[02/08/2017, Strasbourg] Roma genocide: remembering the past to strengthen the fight against prejudice

PACE's General Rapporteur on combating racism and intolerance makes a declaration on the occasion of International Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day

"On the occasion of International Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day, I call on the member States of the Council of Europe to strengthen their efforts to ensure that sites where Roma were persecuted and exterminated during World War II are recognised and that the public knows about the horrific crimes that were committed against Roma during this conflict," said the PACE's General Rapporteur on combating racism and intolerance, Milena Santerini (Italy, SOC), speaking on the eve of this event (2 August 2017).

"In these troubling times of rising populism and as more and more survivors of the genocide pass away, International Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day reminds us that there is still much to be done. Today more than ever, places of remembrance must allow us to preserve the memory of victims while promoting tolerance and mutual understanding, so as to strengthen the fight against discrimination today," she said.

"Remembrance is not an abstract thing. We must apply the memory of the past to present events, to give meaning to Europe today," she concluded.